Kevin Kouzmanoff worked on his swing in an Evergreen batting cage to prepare for spring training and the season ahead in this 2010 Denver Post file photo. Kouzmanoff, who grew up in Evergreen, has worked with hitting coach Troy Slinkard since childhood.

Kevin Kouzmanoff on Wednesday became the sixth player to start at third base for the Rockies this season. And he’ll continue to start, on one condition.

“If it’s third base, you’ve got to hit,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “Especially in a league where the pitcher is one of the hitters. We don’t have that luxury (of a defensive specialist) in the National League. You’re a player in a corner spot in this league, you’ve got to bring something to the table offensively.”

That was Tracy’s message to Chris Nelson, whom the Rockies optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs on Wednesday to make room for Kouzmanoff, who was acquired from Oakland a day earlier. But Nelson isn’t alone in his struggles. The Rockies have searched all year long for consistent run production from a third baseman.

Now comes Kouzmanoff, an Evergreen product who is thrilled to be in Denver. If he hits, he’ll stay. On Wednesday, though, he was 0-for-5.

“It’s a good place to be,” Kouzmanoff said. “I know a lot of guys on the team, and obviously it’s back home for me. Beautiful stadium. . . . I love Denver, Colorado. So this is a good spot to be.”

The Rockies are hoping Kouzmanoff’s bat comes alive at Coors Field. In recent years, he has played for Oakland, and before that, San Diego, in parks that can be tough for hitters. He averaged 19 home runs and 79 RBIs from 2007-10 before landing in Triple-A this season.

“The last two parks I was in, you hit those balls in the gaps and they get hung up and caught,” Kouzmanoff said. “A park like this, those gappers will fall.”

Asked about his future with the Rockies, Kouzmanoff said, “I really haven’t been told much other than this is a trial.”

Kouzmanoff’s goal is to play every day, just as he did for the Padres from 2007-09 and for the A’s last season.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Everybody would want an everyday job. Every day, you want to walk in the clubhouse knowing my name is going to be in that lineup.”

Footnotes.

The Rockies’ search for a third baseman may not end with Kouzmanoff. They’ve claimed David Wright off waivers from the Mets. He isn’t currently available, but talks could develop this winter. . . . Carlos Gonzalez’s run-scoring single in the first gave him nine consecutive games with at least one RBI, one away from Vinny Castilla’s club record.

WASHINGTON — Thirty games into the 82-game NHL season, and nearly six weeks after the Matt Duchene trade, Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic discussed the state of his team before Tuesday’s 5-2 loss at the Washington Capitals.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Rockies continued to bolster their bullpen Wednesday by agreeing to a contract to bring left-handed reliever Jake McGee back to Colorado. A major-league source confirmed the news, but the Rockies have not made the signing official.